Group of pots for food products

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a group of at least two pots ( 2 ) for food products ( 14 ) forming a pack, said pots being divisible from each other, characterized in that: each of the pots has an upper rim ( 3 ) surrounding an opening ( 4 ); and when the pots are grouped in the pack, the pack being placed on a reference plane, the upper rims of the pots of the pack are located in the same plane parallel to said reference plane; and when one of the pots ( 2 ) is detached from the pack for consumption, the pot being placed on a reference plane ( 10 ), the upper rim of the pot is located in a plane ( 11 ) inclined relative to said reference plane ( 10 ).

The subject of the present invention is a packaging for food products.

More precisely, the present invention relates to a group of pots forfood products forming a pack, the pots being divisible from each other.

Various groups of pots packaged in divisible packs are known from theprior art. In practice, when a pot is detached from the group and put ona plane horizontal surface for consumption the upper rims of the potsurrounding the upper opening of the pot are oriented in anapproximately horizontal manner. The upper rims are therefore notoptimally oriented towards the user when the pot is put on a horizontalconsumption surface. The presentation of the food product before andduring consumption, along with the ergonomics during consumption aredisadvantaged. In practice, the use must often tilt the pot duringconsumption, in particular in order to see and consume the food whenreaching the end of the pot.

Starting with this observation, the present invention aims to improvethe presentation of the food product in the pot before and duringconsumption while allowing the use of existing machines for filling,searing and packaging for groups of pots forming a divisible pack.

To this end, the invention proposes a group of at least two pots forfood products forming a pack, said pots being divisible from each other,in which:

each of the pots has an upper rim surrounding an opening; and

when the pots are grouped in the pack, the pack being placed on areference plane, the upper rims of the pots of the pack are located inthe same plane parallel to said reference plane; and

when one of the pots is detached from the pack for consumption, the potbeing placed on a reference plane, the upper rim of the pot is locatedin a plane inclined relative to said reference plane.

Advantageously, a group according to the invention makes it possible toimprove the presentation of the food product in the pot before andduring consumption as the pot is toted. In this way, the upper rim ofthe pot is oriented towards the consumer. The ergonomics duringconsumption are also improved to the extent that the consumer no longerhas to tilt the pot, in particular when reaching the end of the pot, thepot according to the invention being oriented towards the consumerduring the act of consumption.

In addition, a group according to the invention is suitable for the useof existing filling, sealing and packaging machines for the groups ofpots forming a divisible pack. Specifically, the group of pots forming apack is designed to present an upper surface parallel to the surface onwhich it is placed, which allows the use of existing filling and sealingmeans, designed to operate with the upper rims of pots arranged in thesame horizontal plane. For the same reasons, the existing means forpacking packs of pots are advantageously able to be used with the packof pots according to the present invention.

According to advantageous features of the invention, optionallycombined:

the base of each pot has over all or part of its outer surface a planethrough which the pot bears on the reference plane and which extendsobliquely relative to the plane of the upper rim of the pot;

each of the pots of the group has a base approximately opposite theupper rim, said base having on its outer surface a flattening in a planeinclined relative to the plane of the upper rim of the pot;

the flattening is the outer surface of the base of the pot;

the group has at least one divisible tab between the upper rims of twopots defining an axis joining the, at least two, pots, and theflattening of each of the pots is D-shaped with the straight rimoriented so as to form an angle relative to the axis of the divisibletab of the pot in question;

each pot in the group of pots is filled so that the surface of the foodproduct packaged is approximately parallel to the plane of the upper rimof the corresponding pot;

the food product packaged in the pots has a viscosity such that thesurface of the product preserves a positioning parallel to the upper rimof the pot for at least 30 seconds, preferably at least 60 seconds, andin a particularly preferred manner for at least one hour after the pothas been detached from the pack and placed in the inclined position on ahorizontal plane for consumption;

the viscosity is chosen so as to be between 500 cP and 10 000 cP ondosing, and between 10 000 cP and 50 000 cP, preferably between 15 000cP and 20 000 cP at consumption;

the food product packaged in the pots is a fermented or unfermented,stirred or set yoghurt, fruit mousse or vegetable purée, fromage frais,cream, a product based on milk of an animal origin or soya milk, acereal-based preparation, ice cream or a composite food productcombining two or more of the aforementioned products and optionallyincluding a gel-type preparation or an oven-baked preparation, such as abiscuit, pieces of fruit or one or more fruit or chocolate based crunchylayers;

the base has an inclined plane of polygonal, circular or ellipticaloutline over the whole of its outer surface;

the pots each have a ledge designed for the application of a protectivefilm for sealing the pot on the inside wall of the pot between its upperrim and its base, the plane of said ledge being parallel to the obliqueplane of the base of the pot;

the pots are made of a transparent material;

the pots are sealed using a lid made of a transparent material.

These provisions advantageously make it possible to improve thepresentation of the food product in the pot before opening and duringconsumption.

According to another aspect, the invention proposes a method for fillinga group of pots such as described above in which, during filling, thepots of the group forming a pack are arranged in such a way that theirupper rims are positioned in the same plane parallel to the horizontal,so that after filling the upper surface of the product packaged isapproximately parallel to the plane of the upper rims of the pots of thegroup forming the pack. According to an advantageous feature, the potsof the group are closed using a transparent lid.

The exposition of the invention will now be continued through thedetailed description of exemplary embodiments, provided below by way ofnonlimiting example with reference to the appended drawings. In thelatter:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a pot according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view of four pots forming a pack according to theinvention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of the group of four pots fromFIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a top view of the group of four pots from FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a top view of a group of two pots according to the invention;

FIG. 6 is a side view of another embodiment of a pot according to theinvention; and

FIG. 7 is a side view of yet another embodiment of a pot according tothe invention.

FIG. 1 is a side view of a first embodiment of a pot 2 according to theinvention. The pot has an upper rim 3 surrounding an opening 4 intendedfor the filling then the consumption of the food product contained inthe pot. The upper rims of the pot support a lid 5 for closing the potprovided with a primer tab 6, known per se, for facilitating the removalof the lid for consumption.

As can be seen in FIG. 1, when the pot is placed on a reference plane 10the upper rim 3 of the pot 2 is located in a plane 11 inclined relativeto the reference plane 10. In this way, the upper rim of the potsurrounding its opening 4 is oriented towards the consumer. The pot 2has a base 7 approximately opposite the upper rim 3. On its outersurface the base 7 has a flattening 8 in a plane inclined relative tothe plane 11 of the upper rim of the pot. In the present embodiment, thepot has an overall shape of part of a sphere. According to an embodimentnot shown, the pot has a cylindrical shape in which the outer surface ofthe base of the pot forms a flattening in a plane inclined relative tothe plane of the upper rim of the pot.

FIGS. 2 and 3 represent a group 1 of pots 2 for food products accordingto the invention. Each of the pots has an upper rim 3 and a structureapproximately identical to that of the pot of FIG. 1, with the exceptionthat each of the pots is provided with a ledge 9 designed for theapplication of a lid 5. The ledge 9 is provided on the inside wall ofthe pot between its upper rim 3 and its base 7, the plane of said ledgebeing parallel to the plane of the upper rim 3 of the pot.

The group of pots 1 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 has divisible tabs 13between the upper rims of the pots.

In the present embodiment, a group of four pots such as shown in FIG. 1has two of the four tabs which are not immediate neighbours with agreater width than the two other tabs so as to locate there, in a mannerknown per se, the primers 6 for opening the lid 5 as represented in FIG.2.

However, in an alternative embodiment, the tabs 13 are all identical.

Advantageously, as can be seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, when the pots aregrouped in packs, since the packs are placed in a reference plane 10,the upper rims of the pack are located in the same plane 12 parallel tosaid reference plane 10. Thus, a group of this type is suitable for theuse of existing filling, sealing and packaging machines for groups ofpots forming a divisible pack, which are designed to operate with theupper rims of the pots positioned in the same horizontal plane 12.

During filling of the pots, the upper surface 14 of the food product 15is parallel to the plane of the upper rim 3 or to the plane of theopening of the corresponding pot 2. The food product packaged in thepots has a viscosity such that the surface 14 of the product 15preserves its position parallel to the upper rim 3 of the pot for atleast 30 seconds, preferably at least 60 seconds, and in a particularlypreferred manner at least one hour after the pot has been detached fromthe open pack by the consumer and placed in the inclined position on aplane 10 for consumption, as can be seen in greater detail in FIG. 1. Tothis end, the viscosity is chosen so as to be between 500 cP (1cP=1×10⁻³ Pa·s) for a liquid (milk or liquid yoghurt, for example) and1000 cP for a stirred yoghurt, on dosing, and between 10 000 and 50 000cP, preferably between 15 000 and 20 000 cP at consumption (obliqueposition), i.e. in the pots on the manufacture/filling lines and“forming” in the pots, i.e. taking on their texture and their viscosityin the pots.

As can be seen in greater detail in FIG. 4, the flattenings 8 of thegroup of pots shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 have a round shape.

According to another embodiment, which can be seen in FIG. 5, a group oftwo pots according to the invention has a divisible tab 13 between theupper rims 3 of the two pots, thus defining an axis A-A joining the twopots. The straight edge 81 of the D-shaped flattenings 8 is orientedperpendicular to the axis A-A so that, when the pots are grouped in thepack of two pots, the pack being placed on a reference plane, the upperrims 3 of the pots remain parallel to the reference plane on which thepack is placed, When the pots are detached and placed on the referenceplane on the D-shaped flattening 8, the upper rim of each of the pots islocated in a plane inclined relative to the reference plane.

This embodiment of a D-shaped flattening 8 is suited in a particularlyadvantageous manner to a group of two or more pots, This is becausethese flattenings make it possible to obtain stability of the pack evenwhen only two pots remain in the pack. In other words, when the pots ofthe pack are not all consumed at the same time, but one by one, thepacket remains stable in relation to a reference plane, the upper rimsof the pots of the pack being located in the same plane parallel to thereference plane, and this being the case even when only two pots remainin the pack. Thus, the food product advantageously preserves itsposition parallel to the upper rim of the pot until the two last pots ofthe group are detached. Then, according to the viscosity of the foodproduct, the position parallel to the upper rim of the product isretained for a predetermined duration.

For reasons of stability in relation to the reference plane, accordingto the invention a group of at least three pots will be preferred whenthe entire base is inclined and, for example, circular or elliptical inshape and a group of at least two pots will be preferred when the entirebase is inclined and polygonal in shape, as the embodiment of FIG. 6shows with a pot 2 of hexagonal cross section and its inclined base 7 ofhexagonal outline.

According to an embodiment not shown, the pot has a polygonal crosssection and its inclined base has a corresponding polygonal outline.

The pot may be filled with any food product intended to be consumed inpots or groups of pots. These are, in particular, fermented orunfermented, stirred or set yoghurts, fruit mousse or vegetable purée,fromage frais, creams, products based on milk of an animal origin orsoya milk, cereal-based preparations, ice cream or composite foodproducts combining two or more of the aforementioned products.Optionally, such composite products may include, for example, a gel-typepreparation or an oven-baked preparation, such as a biscuit, pieces offruit or alternatively one or more fruit or chocolate based crunchylayers.

In the cross section of the pots the portion may have any shape.

It may also be a product that can be turned out, for instance a dairybase in the upper part of the pot and a coulis in the lower part of thepot, so as to be above the dairy base after turning out.

According to another embodiment shown in FIG. 7, a pot according to theinvention has a ledge 9 intended for the application of a lid 5 forsealing the pot opening. The ledge 9 is provided on the inside wall ofthe pot between its upper rim 3 and its base 7, the plane 91 of theledge 9 being parallel to the plane of the flattening 8 of the base 7 ofthe pot. The lid 5 has a primer tab 6, known per se.

The material of the pots is polystyrene (PS) or polypropylene (PP)injected or, preferably, thermoformed. The pot may be transparent,translucent or opaque, coloured or colourless.

More generally, the sealing of the pot may be carried out by means ofany type of lid, made of multilayered plastic or aluminum, transparentor non-transparent, and welded, preferably, to the upper rim of the potby ultrasound or heat sealing.

Advantageously, the pots are made of a transparent material, which makesit possible to improve the presentation of the food product before andduring consumption.

Advantageously, the pots are sealed using a transparent lid, which makesit possible to improve the presentation of the food product in the potbefore opening.

For reasons of stability of the content of the pot, the roughness of theinside surfaces of the pot is chosen so as to contribute to maintainingthe inclination of the content relative to the horizontal after tiltingthe pot. The roughness values are chosen depending on thecharacteristics of the food product contained in the pot, in particulardepending on its viscosity. The choice of roughness values is within thecompass of the person skilled in the art.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a method forfilling a group of at least two pots is used for food products such asdescribed above in which, during filling, the pots of the group forminga pack are arranged so that their upper rims lie in the same planeparallel to the horizontal. In this way, after filling, the uppersurface of the product packaged is approximately parallel to the planeof the upper rims of the pots of the group forming a pack.

This makes it possible to use existing filling, sealing and packagingmachines.

After filling, the pots of the group are advantageously closed using atransparent lid, which makes it possible to improve the presentation ofthe food product before opening.

Many other variants are possible depending on circumstances, and itshould be recalled in this respect that the invention is not limited tothe examples as represented and described.

1. A group of at least two pots for food products that form a pack, thepots being divisible from each other, comprising: each of the pots hasan upper rim surrounding an opening; and when the pots are grouped inthe pack, and the pack is placed on a reference plane , the upper rimsof the pots of the pack are located in a plane that is parallel to thereference plane; and when one of the pots is detached from the pack andthe pot is placed on the reference plane, the upper rim of the pot is ina plane that is inclined relative to the reference plane.
 2. A groupaccording to claim 1, wherein the base of each pot has a plane throughat least a part of its outer surface which the pot bears on thereference plane and which extends obliquely relative to the plane of theupper rim of the pot.
 3. A group of at least two pots according to claim1, wherein each of the pots of the group has a base that isapproximately opposite the upper rim, the base having on its outersurface a flat portion that is located in a plane that is inclinedrelative to the plane of the upper rim of the pot.
 4. A group accordingto claim 3, wherein the flat portion is the outer surface of the base ofthe pot.
 5. A group according to claim 1, comprising at least onedivisible tab between the upper rims of two pots defining an axisjoining the pots and in a portion of each of the pots is D-shaped with astraight rim oriented so as to form an angle relative to the axis of thedivisible tab of the pot.
 6. A group according to claim 1, wherein eachpot in the group of pots is filled to a level so that a surface of afood product packaged therein is approximately parallel to the plane ofthe upper rim of the corresponding pot.
 7. A group according to claim 1,wherein the food product packaged in the pots has a viscosity such thatthe surface of the product maintains a position that is parallel to theupper rim of the pot for at least 30 seconds after the pot has beendetached from the pack and placed on a horizontal plane for consumption.8. A group according to claim 7, wherein the viscosity is between 500 cPand 10 000 cP on dosing, and between 10 000 cP and 50 000 cP.
 9. A groupaccording to claim 1, wherein the food product packaged in the pots isselected from the group consisting of a fermented, unfermented, stirred,set yoghurt, fruit mousse, vegetable puree, fromage frais, cream, aproduct based on milk, a cereal-based preparation, ice cream, acomposite food product combining two or more products.
 10. A groupaccording to claim 2, wherein the base has an inclined plane having across-sectional shape selected from the group consisting of polygonal,circular and elliptical over its outer surface.
 11. A group according toclaim 2, wherein the pots each have a ledge designed to receive aprotective film for sealing the pot on the inside wall of the potbetween its upper rim and its base, the plane of the ledge beingparallel to the oblique plane of the base of the pot.
 12. A groupaccording to claim 1, wherein the pots are made of a transparentmaterial.
 13. A group according to claim 1, wherein the pots are sealedusing a lid made of a transparent material.
 14. Method for filling agroup of at least two pots for food products comprising the steps of:filling pots that are divisible from each other, each of the pots has anupper rim surrounding an opening, the pots are grouped in the pack andthe pack is placed on a reference plane, the upper rims of the pots ofthe pack are located in a plane that is parallel to the reference plane,when one of the pots is detached from the pack and the pot is placed ona reference plane, the upper rim of the pot is in a plane that isinclined relative to the reference plane, the pots of the group formingthe pack so that their upper rims are positioned in the same planeparallel to the horizontal, so that after filling the upper surface ofthe product packaged is approximately parallel to the plane of the upperrims of the pots of the group forming the pack.
 15. Method according toclaim 1, wherein, after filling, the pots are closed using a transparentlid.
 16. A product comprising two containers for food products, thecontainers being separable from each other, comprising: each containerhaving an upper rim, the containers are coupled together in a pack suchthat when placed on a reference plane, the upper rims of the containersare located in a plane that is parallel to the reference plane, and whenone of the containers is detached from the other, the containerremaining on the reference plane is positioned so that the upper rim ofthe container is located in a plane that is inclined relative to thereference plane.